Sad News from Nikon

[chrism]

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The Coolscan 9000ED, long rumoured to have been in batch production, is officially no more.

See here.

 

I'm glad I got one earlier this year, but even more glad I bought a new enlarger!

 

Chris

[adan]

I hear you on the enlarger. I think a pure silver workflow, start to finish, is where the "resurgence" of film (or at least the end of its decline) will be most evident.

 

9000EDs will follow the 75 Summilux into the realm of exotic "unobtainium." They've been selling on "that auction site" at higher than list price for most of this year.

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[MPerson]

I wonder what the servicing/repair/spares situation will be?

 

Just glad I never gave up my darkroom.

[Guest dk_samurai]

Wow, you scared me there! I thought you were about to say that the F6 would be discontinued!

 

Well, about the 9000ED, how much do they go for on the European auctions? I just got one brand new shipped from the US to Denmark, and after all the taxes (27%) I ended up paying €2300 for it.

 

Best,

David

[innerimager]

Thanks for the head's up. I have a 5000ED but want a second scanner for backup and had been looking at the 9000ED for awhile. Used ones were always over the new list price. I went over to Amazon....and they have some NEW for $2199 (list price). I suspect Nikon is sending out the last of it's stock. I snapped one up. Have a look! best....Peter

[Posto 6]

I actually have a Konica Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 which I find gives really exceptional results, and is also small and relatively cheap on Ebay. It should make an ideal backup.

[thebarnman]

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I can't belive there will never be a scanner that won't match the quality of that Nikon scanner. Film is not going away any time soon and the popularity of electronic sharing I would think there has to be a big demand for scanners. Maybe more people are using flat bed scanners that's also designed to scan film?

 

One thing I will say is scanning film is NOT fun. I'm sitting here with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual II I wish I never bought! It's slow as hell and I never got the results I would have ever hoped for. It's just sitting here connected to my computer and only been used a few times. And each time it was not a pleasant experience.

[Guest dk_samurai]

I went over to Amazon...

 

That's exactly where I got my 9000 ED from last week

 

Have fun! (well, not really, scanning is boring, but you know what I mean)

 

/David

[Xmas]

That's exactly where I got my 9000 ED from last week

 

Have fun! (well, not really, scanning is boring, but you know what I mean)

 

/David

Hi

 

I have the answer to your boredom.

 

As I type the bits from my enlargers exposure meter are scattered over my key board, it like the enlarger, paper, trays, tongs, print frames, washing aid were all free.

 

Enjoy scanning...

 

Noel

[adan]

I expect the Nikon got caught in a squeeze play. The best flatbeds were nibbling at its heels from below (1/3rd the price, 90% of the resolution, more diffuse light for gentler grain), while the perfectionists were buying Imacons or paying for drum scans.

 

I liked it a lot - but sold mine simply because I wasn't getting enough use out of it for the investment. Presumably it will keep some other photographer(s) happy for years.

[innerimager]

Pretty sure the answer is "no"....I use the 35mm roll feeder on the 5000ED, allowing scanning the entire roll at once. The 9000ED doesn't support this does it? thanks...Peter

[AlanG]

I can't belive there will never be a scanner that won't match the quality of that Nikon scanner. Film is not going away any time soon and the popularity of electronic sharing I would think there has to be a big demand for scanners. Maybe more people are using flat bed scanners that's also designed to scan film?

 

One thing I will say is scanning film is NOT fun. I'm sitting here with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual II I wish I never bought! It's slow as hell and I never got the results I would have ever hoped for. It's just sitting here connected to my computer and only been used a few times. And each time it was not a pleasant experience.

 

Some people are using slide copy stands and similar devices along with a digital camera. It is very fast and you can batch process the raw files using all the controls that are in the latest raw processors. I have a good Bowens Illumitron slide copier with a 60mm Schneider copy lens. Used with a 5DII the detail was just slightly below what I can get with my Polaroid Sprintscan 120T at 4000 dpi. But I think the color and exposure control is better, and it's much much faster. (You don't need to do a pre-scan, make adjustments and then make a hi res scan.) I'm going to see if using another lens or specific f stop will close the gap. One advantage is the additional depth of field from using this technique eliminates the need for glass film holders. The chief advantage is a huge increase in productivity.

Edited November 21, 2010 by AlanG

[AlanG]

I expect the Nikon got caught in a squeeze play. The best flatbeds were nibbling at its heels from below (1/3rd the price, 90% of the resolution, more diffuse light for gentler grain),.

 

I found the Nikon scanners to be quite harsh and the Polaroid film scanners (made by Microtek) to be smoother. Sort of like the difference between condenser and diffusion enlargers. But I haven't tried the 9000. I don't think the Microtek film scanners are available either.

Edited November 21, 2010 by AlanG

[thebarnman]

Some people are using slide copy stands and similar devices along with a digital camera. It is very fast and you can batch process the raw files using all the controls that are in the latest raw processors.

 

That's interesting. Check this out...

 

"Two years search for the ideal method to scan large quantities of 35mm slides and 35mm film strips has resulted in finding a winner."

 

Suggestions on the best way to scan masses of 35mm color slides.

[giordano]

Suggestions on the best way to scan masses of 35mm color slides.

 

Has nothing changed since 2004?

[AlanG]

Has nothing changed since 2004?

 

Besides being a dated article, those scanners are expensive.

[juergen]

I wonder what the servicing/repair/spares situation will be?

 

That stopped me from getting one.

 

Juergen

[adan]

As to parts/servicing/repairs:

 

The part most likely to fail in a Nikon scanner is the stepper motor that moves the film (in a 9000) or the lens/CCD package (in the 35mm-format scanner) one pixel line at a time. Fortunately, Nikon makes their own stepper motors, for silicon chip fabrication as well as film scanners: Nikon Precision | Global Site, so they aren't dependent on outside suppliers.

 

The other common servicing required is cleaning the optical path - the exterior lens surfaces and/or, in some Nikon scanners, a front-surface mirror. No more difficult than cleaning an SLR mirror, except for the significant amount of disassembly required (theoretically, something that can be done by users, although I don't recommend it!!)

[janki]

The Coolscan 9000ED, long rumoured to have been in batch production, is officially no more.

See here.

 

I'm glad I got one earlier this year, but even more glad I bought a new enlarger!

 

Chris

Unfortunately, this is yet another clear sign that the film is going to have worse and worse prospects in the nearest future.

 

Nikon Cool Scan 9000 has in a sense been my "R solution" for now.

 

The fact that this particular Nikon device now also is out of production will put mine film archives in danger of disappearing into the great oblivion.

Like so many others, I got rid of the darkroom many years ago.

 

This sad news made me go a few rounds on Google for information about the Hasselblad / Imacons FlextightX1 and X5 film scanners. In particular, the smallest X1 is a very interesting device.

Superb machines and "sovereign" prices!

 

Anyway, I’ll hope that my COOLSCAN will work for many years still.

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[RITskellar]

I too have had a great 5 year run with my Nikon 9000 and worry about the day that it stops working. It's been a very reliable and invaluable tool for me. I have not as of yet identified an adequate substitute for it that equals it's quality, convenience and cost. If I could spare an extra 2K now I would surely buy another one, but it will have to wait. And there will likely be no more remaining when the time comes when I can.

 

My experience with flat bed scanners have been hit or miss in the past, and was never a fan of the fiddly nature of the film loading and trays. That being said, I wonder if one of the Epson 700/750 scanners would not be a good candidate??? Anyone have any experience with those?